Squeeze mop



9, 1955 A. L. LE FEBVRE ET AL 2,714,737

5" SQUEEZE MOP r Filed May 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

9, 1955 A. L. LE FEBVRE ET AL 2,714,737

SQUEEZE MOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1953 United States Patent Office 2,714,737 Patented Aug. 9, 1955 SQUEEZE MOP Alfred L. Le Febvre, Windsor, Conn., and Douglas M. Smail, Springfield, and Alvin 0. Johnson, Westfield, Mass, assignors to Stanley Home Products, Inc., Westtieid, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 28, 1953, Serial No. 353,034

3 Claims. (Ci. 15-119) Our invention relates to improvements in mop construction and is directed more particularly to the provision of a structure wherein relatively swingable plate members support a flexible sponge-like mop element in such a manner that said members may be more easily and accurately manipulated to squeeze or compress the mop element than has heretofore been possible.

The construction is simple in its form so as to be adapted for low cost manufacture and is efficient in its operation so as to be especially adapted for ready and easy squeezing of a mop element.

An important feature of the invention is that the plate members or supports are fully supported throughout their entire lengths so as to insure the attainment of the maximum wringing pressure during the wringing action, the hinging action being uniformly firm and assured.

As a special feature, the construction is such that, in the wringing operation, the mop element is doubled upon itself by relatively swingable plate or support members, thereby facilitating the wringing or squeezing action. Additionally, a rear plate brace or support bracket for a handle is of such design as to remain securely and firmly locked in operating position, once so placed, so as to overcome the objection present in prior art devices wherein the same is easily removable from the construction and results in frequent objectionable malfunctions.

As another features of the invention, we provide a novel means for releasably connecting the handle to the structure at the operators will. Such means is so constructed that pressure, applied by the operator to the handle, is

imparted to both the forward and rearward plate or support members, all to the end that an increased degree of mopping efiiciency is attained and undesired relative swinging movements of one of the plate members relative to the other thereof is obviated.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings where Fig. l is a top plan view of the construction with the support member and handle omitted;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional elevational views on the lines 22 and 3-3 respectively of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevational view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevational view through the structure shown in Fig. 1 in combination with the support bracket and handle member;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the lower portion of the bracket on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are front and rear elevational views of the lower portion of the support bracket.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A pair of support members 2 and 4 for a mop element are provided which are preferably in the form of elongated plates. They may be formed from relatively thin metal so as to have relatively more rigidity and stiffness than the mop element to be associated therewith.

The member 2 will be identified as a rearward support member and the member 4 will be identified as a forward support member. The members 2 and 4 are actually similar in form so as to simplify the manufacturing thereof.

A mop element, not shown, such as formed from cellulose sponge material is secured to undersides of the members 2 and 4.

Adjacent inner longitudinal portions of the members 2 and 4 are provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings or slots such as 6. The outermost edges of the members 2 and 4 are somewhat rounded so as to provide rims or flanges 14 and 12 for strengthening the plates and providing relatively thick bumpers as will be observed. Upon assembly, these rims are pressed into the sponge compressing it somewhat and causing the spinge, when wet, to swell and carry over the edge providing a soft bumper, all as desired.

If desired, elongated raised portions such as 14 and 16 may be provided in the members 2 and 4 not only for purposes of design but also for purposes of strength.

A connecting hinge member 2t} in the form of an elongated channel is provided. This is of a length substantially equal to the length of the similar support members 2 and 4. The member 20 has spaced opposite flange portions 22 and 24 from which extend downwardly depending hinge tabs 26 and 28 which are receivable in the openings 6.

In the assembled relation, best shown in Fig. 3, the lowermost free end portion of the tabs are bent inwardly thereby hingedly connecting the support members 2 and 4 with the connecting member 20. In hinged relation, the members 2 and 4 are freely swingable so as to double up and squeeze a mop element carried by lower faces thereof.

The mop element (not shown) formed from a spongelike 1iquid-absorbing mopping material, such as cellulose sponge, or other suitable material, is secured to the undersides of the members 2 and 4 by adhesives or by any other well known manner. This element will be such as to be adapted for mopping and cleaning purposes, and for holding water therein as desired, as well as for wringing water therefrom.

The support members 2 and 4 intermediate opposite ends and sides thereof are each provided with portions 30 which are upset upwardly therefrom, as best shown in Fig. 4, to provide pockets 32. The openings to the pockets 32 are adjacent and face each other as shown in Fig. 1. Cut-out areas 34 are provided in the tops of each of the portions 30 to facilitate receipt therein of the other components of the construction, as will presently be observed.

A tongue 36 projects inwardly into the lowermost area of each of said pockets from the body of the respective support member and said tongue is slightly offset or depressed as shown in Fig. 4.

A plate brace or bracket 50 is comprised of a channelshaped main portion which is slightly more than half round in its cross section, as shown in Pig. 6, and is pro vided with a pair of opposed detents 52 on the opposite side walls thereof so as to yieldingly and releasably engage a handle H.

The upper extremity of the support bracket 50 is provided with an offset manually engageable portion 54 permitting engagement therewith when the handle H is in engagement with the member 50 so as to facilitate the breaking of said engagement.

The lower extremity 51 of the member 50 is angularly disposed relative to the main handle-supporting section in a manner as shown in Fig. to fit within a pocket 32.

This lower extremity 51 comprises a bifurcated outer end having flattened, horizontally disposed tangs 56 and 58 extending outwardly and with a downwardly depending yieldable tab 62. A portion 60 of member is adapted to rest on plate 2 as in Fig. 5.

The lower end of the support bracket is inserted into a pocket 32 for assembly thereof with a member such as 2. The tangs 56 and 58 are receivable in openings 38 provided at the rear of the pocket. The foot portion rests on the plate 2. The tab 62 is of such dimension as to bear downwardly upon the tongue 36 as the support bracket is inserted into the pocket. The lower end of member 50 is moved sufficiently inwardly into the pocket so that the tab 62 is snapped past the free end of the tongue 36 whereupon the tongue becomes dis-- posed behind the tab 62 so that the lower end of sup- When the undersides of members 2 and 4 are covered with the mop element, access to the tab 62 and/or the tongue 36 is prevented, as is desired. It will be understood that when purchased, the handle member H and the support bracket 50 are separate from the other components comprising the hinged members 2 and 4 carrying the mop element. By this means, the manufacturer is able to ship and sell the complete unit in a knock-down manner.

The purchaser inserts the lower end of the support bracket into a socket of one of the support members where it is securely locked. The handle member (about to be described) can be joined therewith.

An elongated handle member H of the conventional design is provided with a lower tongue portion 70. A clamp member 72 is urged toward the tongue by a wing nut 74 in threaded engagement with a stud 76 extending upwardly from the outer end of part 70 and through clamp 72.

The clamp member 72 has an outer free end 73 receivable in an upper outer elongated recess 75 of a pocket. ,e

Inasmuch as the support members 2 and 4 are relatively swingable there has been the danger of the side of the mop opposite to that to which the handle is attached doubling up underneath as the mop is moved along a surface.

In prior art mops of this general design, pressure applied by the handle is actually applied to the plate to which it is connected. As a consequence, these mops have not been as satisfactory as though pressure were applied to both plates simultaneously.

By means of our invention, the coaction of the handle member and the support bracket insures against the swinging of members 2 and 4 relative to each other whereby the pressure of the handle is applied simultaneously to the supporting member.

With the parts in the relation shown, the handle may be grasped for moving the mop element on the underside of the plates 2 and 4 about a floor or the like. When it is desired to squeeze or wring the mop element, the handle H is separated from the brace 50 so that members 2 and 4 may be swung relative to one another to double up and squeeze the mop element. Thereafter the handle H is snapped into engagement with the member 50 and this engagement holds the plates 2 and 4 against relative swinging.

It will be observed as aforesaid that the mop construction may be shipped as three components, the hinged plates, the supporting bracket, and the handle. The bracket is assembled with a plate by inserting the lower end thereof into a pocket and the handle is secured to a pocket portion by the clamping device shown or some equally suitable clamp means.

In use with the handle engaged in the bracket 50, the relatively hinged plates operate as a unitary mop element support. The plates are held against relative swinging. When, however, it is desired to wring the mop element, the handle is separated from the supporting brace for relative swinging of the members carrying the mop element.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall Within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. The combination with a mop having forward and rear relatively hinged mop element carrying plates and an elongated handle having a lower end secured to said forward plate and extending angularly upwardly and rearwardly over said rear plate, of a handle receiving bracket and connections between said bracket and said rear plate, said bracket being formed from sheet metal in the shape of an elongated upper channel portion having a bottom wall and transversely spaced side walls and provided with a lower foot portion, said rear plate having an intermediate portion displaced upwardly to provide a rear wall and side walls forming a pocket open towards the forward. plate, said rear wall provided with transversely spaced openings, said rear plate having a tongue extending rear-- wardly into said pocket provided with an outer free end,

. said foot portion of the bracket being receivable in said pocket and provided with spaced tangs extending rearwardly and receivable in the openings of said rear wall and a tab depending between said tangs engageable with the free end of said tongue, the side walls of the channel portion of the bracket provided with detents for releasably engaging opposite sides of a handle in said channel portion.

2. A mop construction comprising in combination, forward and rear elongated plates having a mop element on the lower faces thereof and having adjacent inner edges relatively hinged for swinging between coplanar mopping position and relatively diverging element squeezing position, a bracket for releasably holding an elongated handle having a lower end secured to the forward plate and extending angularly rearwardly and upwardly over said rear plate in mopping position of the plates and connections between said rear plate and bracket, said bracket being formed from sheet metal to have a lower foot portion and an upper elongated channel shape handle receiving portion provided with a bottom wall and side walls extending upbracket being disposed angularly upwardly and rearwardly relative to said foot portion and the side Walls thereof provided With detents for engaging opposite sides of a handle.

3. A mop construction according to claim 2 wherein the bottom Wall of the upper portion of the bracket eX tends rearwardly from the handle receiving portion of said bracket for manual engagement.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 7, 1934 

